Russia : 40% of Terrorists in Syria are Mercenaries from 100 Countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin said terrorist organizations are trying to use the Middle East and North Africa as a springboard to launch operations aimed at destabilizing the security of other countries.

In a letter to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states in their meeting for discussing security and intelligence issues in Moscow on Wednesday, President Putin stressed that the current geopolitical situation calls for new and effective ways to respond to the current challenges and threats.

In turn, Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov, who attended the meeting, said that 40% of the terrorists fighting in Syria are mercenaries from over 100 countries, with 10 terrorist groups whose members came from Russia, Ukraine, and other countries of Central Asia.

He said terrorists who are returning from hot zones pose a threat on the CIS countries as they had recceived training in combat and the use of weapons and explosives, and they are attempting to establish combat cells that can commit vandalism and sabotage attacks.

Spokesperson of the Russian Presidency Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday that Moscow is committed to expanding the ongoing dialogue regarding the crisis in Syria to include all the states that can contribute to resolving the crisis.

He also asserted that Russia is also committed to fighting terrorists and extremist groups.

Later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also asserted that Russia is exerting active and concentrated efforts to compel foreign sides to contribute to the settlement process in Syria rather than hinder it.

Lavrov added that forward momentum has been achieved in this issue, and that he hopes that all those who have influence will move in one direction which is based on the interests of the Syrian people.

EU, France, Iraq to take part in Vienna international meeting about Syria

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will take part in an international meeting on Syria in Vienna on Friday, an EU spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Reuters quoted the spokeswoman that EU is very interested, in terms of what is happening in Syria, to try and get everyone around the table.

In a relevant context, French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said that France will participate in Vienna meeting, while spokesman of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Undersecretary for bilateral relations, Nizar Khairallah will attend the meeting.

Earlier, Iran and Egypt announced that they will participate in Vienna extended meeting which will follow the quartet meeting on the level of foreign ministers between Russia, US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Thursday, according to Russian diplomatic source.

Members of the Russian Parliamentary delegation, who visited Damascus early this week warned against the dangers of press misleading practices carried out by Western media against Syria and Russia, alike.

“The meeting with President Bashar al-Assad was very important in the sense that it included clarifications that shed light on the reality of the Syrian official stance which welcomes any constructive initiative to overcome terrorism and preserve Syria’s territorial integrity,” Alexander Yoshenko, member of the Russian Duma Council told SANA correspondent in Moscow.

He added that members of the delegation had spoken with a lot of Syrians who were thankful for the Russian humanitarian and military assistance.

Yoshenko was confident the land process being carried out by the Syrian army would increase, give fruits and pave the way for a peaceful process.

Dmitri Sablin, for his part, said the situation in Damascus was better than before, as “our concern was concentrated on the consolations and talks with the political leaders in Syria to feel that atmosphere which was created by the Russian airstrikes.”

Sergei Gavrilov also echoed the same comments, adding that “Russia’s stance is unchanged, which is committed to a sovereign, independent Syria and this is very important.”

Mazen Eyon

President al-Assad: Terrorism is cross-border issue that should be dealt with
28 October، 2015
Damascus, SANA

President Bashar al-Assad met on Wednesday a French parliamentary delegation headed by Jean-Frederic Poisson, Leader of the Christian Democratic Party.

The meeting tackled a number of issues including the situation in Syria and the threats posed by terrorism to all countries of the region and the world.

President al-Assad stressed that terrorism and extremism are a global phenomenon that knows no borders and should be dealt with, adding that many regional and Western countries, including France, are still supporting and providing political cover for the armed terrorist organizations in Syria.

His Excellency highlighted the role of the French institutions, particularly the French Parliament, in correcting their country’s policies to work towards the security and stability of the Middle East region, as this actually serves the interests of the French people.

Regarding the humanitarian situation in Syria, President al-Assad asserted that the two main causes of the suffering of the Syrian people are terrorism and the damage it causes to infrastructure, and the unjust economic sanctions imposed on the country which affected the living standards of the Syrians negatively and decreased the level of services provided to them in various sectors, especially the health sector.

For their part, members of the delegation stressed the need to unify efforts in confronting terrorism, highlighting the need to adopt a different approach regarding Syria as the current Western policies have failed to put an end to the war.

They said that as Parliament members, they will spare no effort to change their country’s current policies regarding Syria in a manner that would contribute to alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people.

President al-Assad had met Poisson earlier on July 12th, and during that meeting he underlined the important role that rational politicians and MPs in France and Europe can play in correcting Western policies regarding Syria and the region.

Poisson: French delegation will convey real image about the situation in Syria

Poisson affirmed that he and members of the French delegation who met President Bashar al-Assad will convey to their country the real image about the terrorist acts in Syria.

“President al-Assad received us for nearly 1 and half an hour and we have discussed the latest field developments in Syria, particularly after Russia’s participation in the war against terrorism… we have also tackled the political situation in the country in light of the preparations for the parliamentary elections next year… talks have also dealt with how to overcome ISIS,” Poisson said in a statement.

He added that the meeting has helped them understand the situation in Syria and they got acquainted with the life difficulties the Syrians are facing due to the shortage in medicine, water and electricity caused by terrorism.